Typewriting machine



Feb. 5, 1929. 1,700,891

c. w. HOWELL TYPEWRITING MACHINE Fil'ed Dec. 2, 1927 |NVENTOR= ATTOR Y.

Patented Feb. 5, 1929.

UNITED STATS PATENT FFICE.

CH ARLES W. HOWELL, OF HEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO UNDERWOOD ELLIGTT FISHER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CGRPORATION OF DELAWARE.

TYPEWRITING MACHINE.

Application filed December 2, 1927.

This invention relates to the adjustment of the platen in case-shill. typewriting machines ot' the portable type, in which a caseshil't frame is mounted in the main frame of the typcwriting machine by means of parallel link systems at the sides of the machine.

As the type-bars ot the machine are usuai arrangg'sal'to strike an ahutmeut on the i \'l)0--l 2Il-SOQllll1t upon which they are mounted when the type t'aces are in typing position at the typing plane, it is essential to maintain a proper relation of the typing line of the platen with respect to this typing plane. This iniention deals with adjustments for correcting the position of the platen to true it up.

According to the present invention the adjustments are made in: increasing or decreasing the length of one of the parts at each side of the tvpewritinn machine in order to shift the, ends of the platen toiwardly or rear 'ardly as may he required, to bring the printing line on the platen into the proper printing; plane. Heretotore. theadjustments have been accomplished by means of changes in the pivotal articulation between the case-Ellii'tt-tra'me and the main frame by changing or shitting one or more of the pivotal connections. In" the present; invention the adjustment is accomplished by varying the distances between parts, and is shown applied to the upper link of the parallel linksystem at each side of the caseshift-frame, whereby the length of the link may he increased or dim'ii'iished ior making the adjustment. The linl; is provided with a projection midway hetwecn its ends, and is separated into two sections by means of an interrupting slot which extends across the link and into the projection. The portion of the projection he 'ond the slot provides a resil fir-sit flexing: connection between the sections oi the link, and the adjustment of the link is maintained by means of a screw-connection between the two sections across the slot, which screw-connection alt'ords a means for obtaining a very line adjustment tocorrect very slight. variations in length of the link necessary to hring the printing line of the platen into the proper printing plane.

l'eature of the invention is the accessibility of the adjustments; the adjusting clevices on the upper linl; ol the parallel linksystem extend outwardly into a recess in the main frame of the typewriting machine Serial No. 237,175.

where they am he readily operated upon. The adjusting devices are extremely compact, simple and inexpensive to apply during the manufacturing of lyI)6\ VllilI1 machines.

Other features and advantages will hereinatter appca r.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 a sectional side elevation of the righthand of the typewriter. showing the parts employed in the case-shift operation and platen-adjusting devices, in ac cordance with the present invention, applied thereto.

v Figure 2 is a perspective View, showing the relation between the stationary frame and shift-frame of an Underwood portable typewriter and the linleconnection between said tI'anies ha vin the adjusting devices applied thereto. Portions of the platen and type-har-segrment and a type-bar are shown in thcir relative position with respect to the frames.

l ieure 3 is a perspective view of one of the guide-link connections to which the platen-ad usting device, according to this invention, has been applied.

The typewrit we; machine herein illustrated includes a main Frame ill and a shiftt'raine ll carryin 'gxroceting platen-- carriage 12. in which a platen 1?; rotatahly mounts-d. 'i he machine is provided with the usual type-liar egment l i, and one of tl tyg're-hars 15 carried therehy shown in ".ping position. the liar res-tin}: against the usual i' \'j'l("--l)zil+1(}'l!lilii ahutaicn-Ti Hi and yi 'ie-liead 17 on th end oi said type-"liar against platen. the platen being illustrated in lo? r asc typin itiou.

The platcn carriagre 12 ii provided with guidciai-ls l8 and corrcsp inp; front. and rear guide-rai s l? and :24). respectively. are mounted on the shil't- 'rame i1. Rails IE1 or he platenmarriage co-operate with balll the trout and rear-guide rails 19 and 20 on the shift-frame to permit the platen-carr to reciprocate with respect to the s-lnl -t-trame in the usual manner. The usual means for actuatingthe platen-cai'riaee upon the shift-frame tor letter-spacing is indicated by a rack pro vided on the carriage and which is associated with a pinion 23'. escapement and spring drum provided on the shift-frame structure.

The shift-frame 11 includes a rear plate ill?) 2t; and side plates 27, which carry the respective rear and front rails and it) on the upper portions thereof. The side plates extend forwardly, and on the upper portion of the outer ends thereof are formed ears for :arrying rihhonoiicchanism (not shown).

The shift-frame ii is operated within hc main frame it) for up-amldlown caseshift movement in a plane suhstantiallv parallel to the printing plane of the type-liars. This shift-frame. The lower guide-links lit) forwardly connected to the shift-frame means of pivots 35 and are reaiwrardly cured upon a roclzer-shatt- 3b, which is tachalilv journaled in the main frame means of screws 37, and which. as will seen, effects a simultaneous movement of the two lower guide-links during case-shift n'iovement of the shift-frame. ettected at either side of the machine.

As shown in Figure 1. a right-hand caseshift lever 38 is pivotally connected at Rf) to the main frame. The rearward arm -10 of said lever co-operates with an in 'flll'd extension of the pivot of the right-hand lower guide-link 30. Upon dc messing; a key 38 mounted on the forward arm 41 of the lever. the rearward arm it) thereof will operatively engage said pivot to lift the shiftframe to its uppercase position. To l imit the caseshift movement, an extension $2 of said right-hand lower guide-link iii) operates hetween a lower stop-screw 4;) and an u *pcr stopscrcw it. tsaid sto rscrcws aid l t are fuljustahly thre: dcd into ear:- (sce Figure 2) extending from the luai frame, and are locked in place h locle uts ll The shitt'lrame is shown in tower-case position with the extension l3. re ting: upon the lower stop-screw iii. The caswshE l't lever 38 is normally held lo 2 spring: ti. so that a projection 48 on the rear arm -10 of the lover is held in engagement with an edge 4*?) of an opening 50 in the main frame.

The shift-f iUHO ll is guided hctween the heads of screws 51 which. pass through the pivotal points at the ends 31 of the upper guide-links 29 at either side 2f the shiftfran'ie. and are secured in the main frame. as sho vu in Flflftlt't? The heads of screws 51 extend suiticiently to engage the shiftdrame 11 as lateral stops to prevent sidewise play of the shift-frame with respect to the main frame of the typcv-niting: machine,

In order to adjust the platen so that the printing line thereof will he in the correct plane at both ends thereof, adjusting" dcvires, generally designated by the numeral 522, are provided so that the ends of the platen and the shift-frame 11 may he moved forward y or rearwardiy with respect to the main frame 10 of the ty:ewritin; machine. The norn al position of the shift-fra1ue and parts carried thereby is indicated in full lines with. the type-hcads l? in pr er printing position with respect to the i i. and forward and riarward adjusted posi of the. typing; section of the platen and the corresp nding positions of the lft'flv'v'hlil portion of side plates 2! are iudieatel in dotanddash lines in l isgure 1. The devices provide for the rocking m it Elf;

frame ll n the pivots 235, so as to ll El'ilbli'ifii the gu de-rails it) ar d 3ft). order that the reciprocati i W I plateirca ri: 51c and parts nu vine thereon.) may he correctl v' positioned to hring the n'inting line of the platen into the proper printing plane of hoth lower and upper case-shifts, each end of the platen is indepe rlen :nljusted. The adjusting devices :12 are at o the upper guide-links 29 and the pivotal connections of hotih the uppe' and lower n'uidelinhs with the main frame ltl and the sh frame ll are unaltered.

In order to make the upper guidediz 1's 2) adjustable. each link provided at it i portion with a downward projection 53} and a t 54 extending from the upper surface of the link down into said nflection 53. so that the portion 53 at the hott in of the slo will ps4 ride a flexible connection between i the two ends of the link whet-eh; the length of the may he increased or diminished. [ts hcst shown in the detail d vies-7 of the linlc (Figure outwardly-eratending ears and 56 are fastened to the l nl: on either side of the slot 5% adjacent to the upper portion t u'rw of. The link may he formed with a 533. to increase its lateral lllilltlt-iiiii at 1 point where the car ht? is atsjachcd. \vhcrchv no lief-int: will oci in at this point; to v ry the adj: :tnient oi the platcit-carriage. The ear is provided with a hole 57 ot' Sllli'hifili size to permit. the shard; of a FUEK'W 53 to pass irrel therethrough. and the air In: is provided with a threaded hole into which said scriwv is threadahly received. Two lock-nuts GO and 1 are provided for the screw 58 to en- 'ege the ears and respzwtivclv. These nuts securely 1 old the screw 58 inplace hv gripping against the ears and 5t; and therehv maintain the adjustment of the lcroth of the guide-link 29.

he main frame 10 is formed with recesses at ach side thereof. into which recesses laterally-pro}octing portions of the adting device freely extend and in which poion the; are within easy access for l'nanipulation in the process of adjusting the platen. In order to adjust the platen the lock-nuts let) All

na le Ver} accurately in order to ol atain ci 0 and 61 are loosened to permit the screws 58 to he turned in or out tor citlier shout ..1- ing or lengthening the guidedinhs 29. The, screws may he turned inwardl} tor drawn 3 the ears together. to shortr )e guide-link and thereby swing the shift-frame forwardly on the pivot to hrine; the "face (it the plati n for rardl with respect to the printing plane. Like wise, the screw. ma he t rncd ontwin-dly to allow for l ngtheninnoi the g; hie-links for swinging the platen rcarwaH-iy wit respect to the printing plane. Atttr the screws are adjusted. the toclenuts are tight-- cned to fasten the parts in proger relation with nuts (1 against the ears to lock the screws from turning and nut {f ll against ea s to hold these cars against movement on the screws. In some instances. when the screws have been turned out, the nuts nuif. t'orce the ars outvardl; to ler 'lihen the guide-links, hut preferably, the gzfuide-l nlts are termed so that they rill extend due to their r iency, sutliciently to ttllit care of the i'natinnum adjustments in either direction. As it is net-es sat-y that the adjustment of the platen he ness and evenness of th individual type-in pi'cssions and ot tht npressions from one ent of the platen to the thcr, the fltl t-1'- l11'llit:- at each end of the platen arc-med!- Q e ienden ly. In each guide-link. it will he no ed the screw 08 provides a micrometer :idir" ment for raryinp its lenzx'th. whe co very slight Variations in the l th ot the guidelin ma; readily ohtai l. and the adjustment thereof is greatly 't'aei itaied,

ariations may he resorted to within the scope of the inrentioi and portions of the improvements may he used without others.

Having thus described any invention, 1 claim:

1. A typewritingr machine ineludin N in combination, a main frame, a shitt-trame upon which a platc ncarriagge and a platen are u ciplocullly mounted. pivotal yanountcd t pe-hars arrying typeh ads tor typing); in dillerent case-shitt-positions. means for limit inn the swinging nu'n'cmentof the t ne-hars towards the platen to determine the tinting; points of the type-head swinp ahle guid links at each side of said shift-tr: are connectin; the shift-frame within the ma in frame more up and down therein for typing in the diti'erent case-shitt positions, and means to L varying; the length ot a guide-link at each side o the shift-frame indepmdently, so as to adjust the printing lin e of the platen forwardly or reanrardl; with respect to the printin points of the type-heads to ohtain clearnc and evencss ot type-iniprcssions from one end of the platen to the other.

A typewriting' ma :hine int-hiding in eomhinatior a main frame. a shift- 'rame within said main tr: me upon which a platencarriage and a platen are reciprocahly mountit guri ed swinging type-hints a pair of g'juide-linlts at either side of said shift-frame for conn91 t n it with the main trams and guiding -v12:e-shift-moveinents, and means tor the guide-links t caehside of said shitt-trai e to ohtain the proper relati n between the 1 aten and typehars for clear and err-n t xpe-inipressions from we e d of the platen to the other.

- "ting machine including, in main frame, a shift-frame varying the len th of one of aten-carr' 'e and a platen are rec mnted. sh inging type-l ars. a pair of fl'lihltf-liPlF at e ther side ot said shittc-r wet it within the main and 'nuhngg it ring easeshit't-1no\'eincluding upper and lower hori'lzontall -.'-l1l'i1 l(tl tinlzs with the upper one at each =ide in an :lt'ttr-Fiivlc position adjacent to the t anze npher portions of the frames, and means tor rar 'in the length of said upper guide-links pendently ot each other to ohtain the re'iation hetween the platen and typer: tor clear and even type-impressions from one nd ot the platen to other.

i 1;;- maehinc including, in a EU 'ame, a shift-frame conot a i.)!Ql-DtHlllt3l and torwardly-exne men: ,iers rails mounted oi'el -r and the r =ar portion of me era of the shift-frame, a platenc:triage reciprocald; mounted on said 1: a platen in said carriage. swinging type- ,arsz iiia s or mounting? said shitt-i ran'le in said main frame including horizontallyari antz'ed gau'. ii -if at each side of the shittlrame pivotalljv connc 'ted at their rear ends with said main frame nd at their front ends in front. of said rails with the forward portions ot' the side mem ers said shift-frame, means at each side of the machine for adjustin; said rails forwardly and ream ardly with rwpect to the main trame including a longitudinally adiuztahle connection in one of the, a't'ores i i parts at ew-h side of the machine, and nmms tor hold ng said connections in adjusted "iticns to:- positioning: the typing iine ot the platen in proper relation with respect to the type-let's tor obtaining clear and even iu'lpressions from one end of the platen to the other.

5. A typewriting machine including, in combination, a main frame, a shift-frame within said main frame upon which a platenearriaee and a platen are reeiprocahly l "lilo pos mounted swingingt "pel arsa a pair of guide-links at either side of said shift-frame for coni'icctingj it with the main frame and guiding it during case-shitt-ninveinents, one

of and 

